Implementing New Management Initiatives in Project-Based Environments: The Role of Organizational Practices and Power Dynamics

This paper aims to contribute to understanding the relationship between project-based working and wider organizational processes through a multiple case study of the implementation of new management initiatives in the construction sector. The comparative analysis of the cases allows exploring the factors associated with project-based working which enabled, and/or inhibited, the introduction of change initiatives. It reveals two major dimensions that influence the extent to which new organizational practices are accepted and embedded across projects. First, the degree to which the change initiative interferes with (or is seen as interfering with) project management practices and, second, the degree to which the implementation of the initiative disrupts existing power/knowledge conditions within the organization.